A century-old Taichung temple is handing out blessed red threads and candy for Chinese Valentine's Day after catching a thief who stole one of its matchmaking god statues — good news for the temple and the crowds of singles who visit it.

• A thief took the small Yue Lao statue from Lecheng Temple last Saturday and snapped a finger off the large one.
• Worshippers alerted the temple, security footage led to an arrest nearby, and both the statue and the broken finger were recovered.
• The large statue was sent to Lukang for repair and is now sitting in the main hall instead of its usual shrine.
• For Qixi today, people who pray in the main hall and get a favorable answer from the divination blocks receive a blessed red thread and candy.

Outlook: The repaired statue moves back to its own shrine once the holiday passes.